Review: Moof brings its home-cafe roots to Shenton Way and has matcha worth making the trip for!

Another week, another matcha bar — except this new one in Shenton Way has a bit more of a layered backstory than most.

Moof, a speciality matcha bar located on the ground floor of Eon Shenton, is the latest matcha spot that’s been creating quite the buzz among the CBD folk.

While it only opened in early May, this concept was years in the making, born of a home cafe, a matcha obsession, and a tight-knit circle of ex-colleagues who decided to build something together.

The backstory

Moof matcha bar is the brainchild of Chiara Ang, who was with local online food website Eatbook between 2017 and 2023 — and the team behind homegrown matcha brand, Mori Matcha.

If you’ve not heard of Mori Matcha, it was founded in December 2023 with a straightforward mission: To make quality, ceremonial-grade matcha accessible, without the premium markup that usually comes with it.

Before Moof took the form of a physical cafe, there was Poof Cafe — Chiara’s home-based cafe concept that she ran with her friend and former colleague, Chew Yi En. A keen baker, Yi En also runs Hone Bakes, a micro home bakery she operates with her mum.

The two began running Poof Cafe from Chiara’s home in August 2024 and started off by holding monthly pop-ups (which didn’t have specific run dates, hence the name “poof”, alluding to how quickly it would appear or disappear). 

Poof Cafe had a rotating menu that leaned heavily into creative coffee and matcha drinks and cafe-style bites — with Mori Matcha’s powder forming the backbone of nearly every creation.

The physical outlet’s new moniker, Moof, is a nod to both aspects of its genesis, a portmanteau of Poof Cafe and Mori Matcha — the two building blocks that made this permanent space possible. 

It’s a small detail, but a telling one; Moof isn’t really a fresh start, but the amalgamation of the same collaborators, the same matcha, and the same spirit of wanting to share good food and drinks with a sider audience, made even more accessible with its new central presence. 

Yi En has since come on board at Moof, too, contributing a small-but-rotating selection of bakes to Moof’s menu.

Our verdict

When we visited on a Monday afternoon, it was clear that Moof cafe was still finding its footing with its current menu being very much a work-in-progress, with the team working hard to gather feedback and refine recipes before things are locked in for its official opening in mid-June. 

But even at this stage, there was enough here to make our trip down to Moof cafe at Eon Shenton worthwhile.

The drinks — there were four signatures and three seasonal ones when we dropped by — are competitively priced for what they are, starting at S$7 for a classic matcha latte. 

You can also choose a hot or cold variation for your drink, and opt for oat milk without paying extra, a small but much-appreciated touch, especially in the current cafe scene where a single variation can cost upwards of S$1. 

The drinks are stellar, with the black sesame matcha (S$8.50) being the clear standout — and the one I’d point anyone towards on a first visit. 

As for food, given that Moof is currently in its soft-launch phase, there isn’t much for us to comment on, given that there was only one item available when we were there — that said, the Okinawa brown sugar madeleine (S$3) is a nice add-on that’ll pair well with whatever you order.

Conceptually, Moof is great as a CBD pit stop; the space is lean, with a handful of indoor and outdoor stools that are more practical than lingering-friendly. It might not be the most comfortable setup, but if you’re in the Shenton Way area, whether on a weekday or wandering through on a weekend, it’s worth a stop.

With such a promising start, we have a hunch the menu will only get more interesting from here.

What it’s good for

The matcha, of course. 

And for all you matcha purists in the room, you’ll be glad to know that the matcha used here is ceremonial grade — “if that matters to you,” Chiara added off-handedly when handing us our drinks — a moment which I found endearingly candid.

It does matter, and you can clearly taste it.

Across all three drinks I tried, the grassy, earthy, mildly vegetal notes that make matcha worth drinking in the first place came through cleanly — never muddied, never an afterthought.

Our favourite of the lot was the black sesame matcha (S$8.50), a seasonal offering that we think should be a permanent signature.

Made with matcha, oat milk, and a housemade black sesame crumble of sesame, sugar, and flour, the drink has a unique-but-enjoyable texture that sets it apart — something I didn’t think I’d say about a cold drink (or any drink, frankly).

As you sip, you get doses of creaminess punctuated with crumbly/chewy sesame chunks. The experience takes some getting used to, but after a few sips, the combination of toasted sesame and earthy matcha won me over. No element overpowered the other, owing to the well-balanced matcha-to-sesame ratio — something I found quite commendable. 

Additionally, Moof’s crumble lends a subtle toasted sweetness, so you genuinely don’t need to add any sugar. 

It’s also available as a hojicha variation if that’s more your speed, which I’m sure non-regular matcha drinkers (myself included) can appreciate.

That said, my personal favourite of the visit was, surprisingly, the speciality classic hojicha latte (S$7) — one of the four signatures on the menu. 

There’s a nuttiness to it that’s so rounded and full-bodied that you almost forget you’re drinking something green tea-based — which, honestly, makes it the ideal gateway drink for anyone who’s been on the fence about any tea-based beverage.

It’s robust in flavour, has subtle tea notes, and is a palatable drink.

If you happen to be with anyone who remains adamant about trying matcha (though we’re not sure why they’re at a matcha speciality bar, but hey, we don’t judge), the strawberry royal milk pudding (S$9) might just seal the deal.

I’ll be honest: When I first saw the drink on the menu, I hemmed and hawed about ordering as strawberry matcha has become so ubiquitous on menus here that I wasn’t sure it’d surprise me. Thankfully I went ahead with the order, because it delivered on all counts.

The strawberry jam is housemade and tastes righfully so — not too sweet, with varied fruit chunks — while the milk pudding has a prominent vanilla flavour which could be a bit much, yet both come together harmoniously, balancing each other out without an overly saccharine taste.

Taken together, it’s one of my favourite strawberry matcha iterations given how evenly matched both ingredients were in terms of flavour intensity — you taste each clearly but no one ingredient overpowers the other. 

Overall it’s a drink that’s fresh, light, and carries the right balance of sweet, tart, and those familiar grassy notes (which I personally love).

Do note that if you’re lactose-intolerant or sensitive, there’s currently no non-dairy alternative for the milk pudding, so you might want to have the lactase pills handy or skip this. 

Since Moof is in its soft-opening phase, Chiara is all ears for feedback, especially on price points for one of its most expensive drinks. 

To me, S$9 for a strawberry matcha drink is hard to argue with when I’ve paid upwards of that elsewhere for something I wouldn’t go back for — and that forgettable drink didn’t even come with milk pudding! So yes, Moof’s version is worth its price, especially when you consider the various components and the overall taste. 

What it could improve on

For all that Moof cafe gets right, there are a couple of things that still need ironing out — though in fairness, most of them are teething issues that you’d typically see during the soft-launch phase.

For one, the variety of menu items. If you followed Poof Cafe on socials for a bit, you would have seen the wide range of bakes that would fill the tables at every session — while we came with tempered expectations on the range, some others might expect a fuller spread. 

The only bake during our visit was the Okinawa brown sugar madeleine (S$3) — and while I was hoping to sample more of Yi En’s Hone Bakes creations, I could understand the limited menu. 

The drinks are clearly the focus of the R&D right now, and the bakes will likely follow once the menu settles. That said, even though it’s Moof’s only offering, it shouldn’t be dismissed.

Taste wise, the madeleine was subtly salty, with just the right edge of sweetness, and the staff offering to heat it up before serving was a thoughtful touch that made a difference in how fluffy it ended up being. 

So, yes, I may have been disappointed at not getting to experience the joy of choosing from a table full of pastries, but the madeleine did well in helping to stem those negative feelings. 

At S$3, we also say: Just toss it into your order — you won’t regret it. 

Another sticking point for us was logistical. It’s a tight squeeze at the outlet, whether you’re seated on the indoor or outdoor stools, which are, by the way, more functional than comfortable. 

But with Moof being located in the busy business district, it’s clear it was never meant to be a spot you linger at. Couple that with exorbitant rental prices and shoebox-sized units, we think it’s already a plus that the cafe even has seats. 

At its core, Moof cafe is a concept that’s still warming up — but even in soft launch, it’s showing enough promise to warrant a return. 

The drinks are genuinely good, the pricing is fair, and if this is what the menu looks like before it’s fully locked in, I’m definitely curious to see where it goes once the official opening rolls around.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? It gets a little noisy indoors, owing to the smallness of the space, however, if you insist on sitting down and having a chat with your matcha buddy, you’re free to grab one of its orange stools and hang out outside.

Is a reservation necessary? No. In fact, with limited seating indoors and outdoors, this place is better suited as a takeaway joint rather than a spot you’d want to sit around and linger at.

How to get there? Moof is a five-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT Exit C.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

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